Changing and Forming: English Vocabulary List

to completely transform something into a different form

"The witch can transmogrify him."

"The magical spell seemed to transmogrify the ordinary pumpkin into a beautiful carriage for the princess."

to alter the position, arrangement, or sequence of something

"Transpose the numbers into a different order."

"The composer decided to transpose the melody to a different key to better suit the vocalist's range."

to change from a liquid to a semi-solid or solid state, often through the process of clotting or curdling

"Blood coagulates to stop bleeding."

"The blood began to coagulate quickly after the cut formed a protective scab over the wound."

to gradually disappear or spread out

"The crowd dissipated after the concert ended."

"The thick morning fog began to dissipate as the sun rose higher in the clear sky."

to cause a solid to turn directly into vapor without melting

"Dry ice will sublime quickly."

"Under certain conditions dry ice will sublime directly from a solid into a gas."

to become limp or droopy, usually due to lack of water or loss of vitality

"The flowers wilted without water."

"The beautiful flowers began to wilt in the intense summer heat because no one watered them."

to break into smaller pieces

"The glass fragmented into many tiny pieces."

"The ancient artifact began to fragment into several small pieces when the archaeologist touched it roughly."

to cause a solid to change directly into a gas without passing through the liquid phase

"He sublimated his anger through exercise."

"Some people sublimate their aggressive impulses into competitive sports or creative activities instead of violence."

to make a problem, situation, or condition worse or more serious

"His rude comments aggravated the situation."

"His constant complaining only served to aggravate the tense situation between the two coworkers."

to twist or bend something out of its normal or natural shape

"His face contorted in pain."

"His face began to contort in pain as the doctor pressed on the injured area of his leg."

to enhance the strength or effect of something

"She bolstered her argument with facts."

"The company decided to bolster its marketing efforts by hiring a famous celebrity for their advertisements."

to sharpen or hone the cutting edge of a blade by rubbing it against a sharpening tool or stone

"He whet the knife."

"The chef would meticulously whet his knives before each service to ensure a perfectly sharp edge for slicing ingredients."

to rearrange the order of things

"Permute the numbers in the sequence."

"The mathematician needed to permute the numbers in different ways to solve the complex equation."

to examine, repair, and make significant improvements or changes to something

"We need to overhaul the engine."

"The mechanic had to completely overhaul the old engine because it was not working properly."

to make very precise adjustments, usually small ones, to improve or perfect something

"He fine tuned the guitar strings."

"The engineer spent hours trying to fine-tune the machine for optimal performance and efficiency."

to make something, particularly something unpleasant or unsatisfactory, better or more bearable

"This medicine will ameliorate your pain."

"The new medicine can help ameliorate the painful symptoms of this chronic disease significantly."

to make something right when it was previously incorrect, improper, or defective

"Please rectify the spelling error."

"The technician was called in to rectify the electrical problem that had caused a power outage."

to dry up or shrink, typically due to a loss of moisture

"Plants wither fast."

"Without adequate rainfall, the delicate flowers began to wither under the relentless summer sun."

to cause an object or image to change its shape smoothly and seamlessly

"The caterpillar morphed into a butterfly."

"The tiny tadpole will gradually morph into a frog over several weeks of growth."

to make something less forceful, potent, or intense by adding additional elements or substances

"Dilute the juice with water."

"You should dilute the concentrated cleaning solution with water before using it on your floors."

to heat a liquid and turn it into gas then cool it and make it liquid again in order to purify it

"They distill water to purify."

"The old whiskey distillery uses traditional copper pots to distill its spirits for the best flavor."

to perfect or improve something, such as a skill or ability

"She honed her writing skills daily."

"She took a writing course to hone her skills before applying for journalism jobs at newspapers."